Despite meticulous investment and a promotional campaign involving South Korean star Lee Kwang Soo throughout, He holds a star in his hand. It still suffered from poor box office performance, only earning a little over [amount]. 11 billion VND After two weeks in theaters, this figure is unlikely to recoup the investors' costs; moreover, it is highly probable that it will result in significant losses, given that what is shown on screen suggests the project's budget could reach tens of billions of VND.
This is quite unfortunate because, to be fair, the film isn't too bad. In particular, the performances of the two main actors received quite a lot of positive feedback. And among them, Hoang Ha – in her first leading romantic role on the big screen, a role she usually excels at in television – delivered a relatively good performance.
However, given what has happened so far, this can hardly be considered a successful project for the actress.
Hoang Ha sincerely
He holds a star in his hand. The film tells the story of the unusual relationship between Jun Woo (Lee Kwang Soo), a top South Korean actor, and Thao (Hoang Ha), a Vietnamese bartender. During a business trip, the Korean star is accidentally left behind by his crew in Ho Chi Minh City, with his wallet and documents missing.
In a strange city, Jun Woo struggles to find his way around, constantly encountering comical and frustrating problems. The situation culminates when a passerby named Thao bumps into him, breaking his phone – his only means of contacting someone he knows. With nowhere else to go, Jun Woo is forced to seek refuge with Thao while his troubles are resolved.
In the film, Hoang Ha's character is an intelligent, hardworking girl with great ambitions and potential, yet she is held back by difficult circumstances. It's easy to see that this is a rather familiar character type, not much different from the female archetype in the "modern-day Cinderella" motif. This portrayal is somewhat safe and lacks creativity. Nevertheless, Thao's simplicity and independence sometimes provide an interesting balance when placed alongside Jun Woo – a famous but insecure star.
The two are clearly very different, not only in language, nationality, or background—things that immediately catch the audience's eye—but also in their respective positions on their journey to achieving their dreams.
While Thao is still struggling to become a top bartender, Jun Woo has already achieved his dream – becoming a well-known actor. Conversely, while the Korean star appears full of anxiety, the Vietnamese girl exudes a strangely positive atmosphere – something only found in someone enjoying their own journey.
Hoang Ha's performance helped the audience believe in the character's sincerity. She convincingly portrayed a young person striving to achieve their goals, while also being somewhat hesitant about an uncertain future. Despite the lack of dramatic scenes, Hoang Ha demonstrated excellent emotional control, maintaining a connection with the audience and with Jun Woo's journey.
That sincerity created just enough space for Jun Woo to influence Thao's life, encouraging the Vietnamese girl to continue pursuing her dreams; at the same time, it also taught the Korean star to appreciate his own achievements more.
But not impressive enough.
In fact, up to this point, Hoang Ha has somewhat proven herself to be a talented actress. Since making her big screen debut in 2022, she has been given quite a few opportunities - from horror-themed projects like Soul Eater (2023), works with strong comedic elements such as Last Wish (2025), to the hit TV series Ours eight years from now (2023) - and each appearance has generated a certain degree of goodwill.
However, most of Hoang Ha's roles have yet to make a strong enough impression to make her a household name. In purely entertainment-oriented works such as Soul Eater good In "The Last Wish ," she delivered a solid performance, with good diction and a natural acting style. However, Hoang Ha still didn't truly bring out the spirit of each genre – at times lacking charm in comedic roles, at other times lacking the haunting or thrilling element of horror – resulting in a performance that remained safe and uninspired.
As for In "Our 8 Years Later ," Hoang Ha perfectly portrayed the character of Duong, a naive, lovable, shy yet strong woman at the right time. She and her co-star Quoc Anh brought a certain emotional resonance to the viewers, contributing to the film's success; Hoang Ha herself also received attention from the audience. Unfortunately, the role ended relatively early, leaving viewers feeling somewhat disappointed. However, this also partly demonstrates Hoang Ha's ability in the romantic/emotional genre.
Back to "He Holds a Star in His Hand ," initially a highly anticipated project featuring a seasoned international cast, gave Hoang Ha ample opportunity to showcase her talent and take on a role suited to her strengths. However, the film unfortunately underperformed at the box office; and the actress's performance—while somewhat endearing—was rather lackluster, failing to leave a lasting emotional impact.
As a rom-com, He holds a star in his hand. The film is highly praised for its humor, which is even considered its strongest point. However, it is Lee Kwang Soo – with his innate sense of humor – who truly guides the emotions throughout the story. Meanwhile, Hoang Ha appears rather lackluster in these scenes, lacking chemistry with her male co-star; she also fails to showcase the necessary charm for the genre.
Furthermore, there wasn't enough chemistry between Huang He and Lee Kwang Soo in their romantic scenes. The emotional connection between them wasn't natural enough, sometimes even awkward, making the emotional flow lack appeal. The scenes expected to evoke feelings of warmth or excitement only reached a pleasant level, failing to truly touch the viewers' emotions.
Furthermore, the role played by Hoang Ha is built on a familiar mold, lacking the necessary creativity to create something new. Thao also lacks personality traits or interesting highlights to keep the audience engaged. Therefore, although the character's journey is meaningful, it's difficult to pique viewers' curiosity and make them want to follow along.
From the moment she was one of the two "muses" in Me and Trinh From 2022 to the present, Hoang Ha has come a long way, participating in numerous projects. And now, she has clearly become a relatively familiar name in Vietnamese cinema. However, to rise to the level of a top-tier actress with great appeal, Hoang Ha still needs a truly impactful performance.
But with what happened there He holds a star in his hand ; perhaps the actress will have to continue her quest for that in another project in the future.
Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/tiec-cho-hoang-ha-3380452.html
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